ENGLISH- The project for the new Mediation Law in Romania requires victims of "simple" rape to go through a MANDATORY meeting with a mediator that would present to them "the advantages of mediation" in dealing with their rape case and encourage victims of rape to use mediation, BEFORE their complaint is accepted in the courts. By advising the rape victim on the advantages of mediation, the aggressor's feeling of impunity is deepened, as the victim is encouraged to settle with the rapist. This law fosters the rapists's opportunity to avoid jail time and keep his criminal record clean, by paying money to the victim, in a context of serious economic inequalities between men and women. It is a law that ignores the traumatic character of rape, adding a mandatory informative session on mediation and a law that assumes that mediators are fit for this. It is set in a Romanian context where even important members of the Mediation Community have expressed deeply revolting views on how "accusations of rape is often used for blackmail" or "rape in the family should not destroy the family" (by punishing the aggressor). Mediators in Romania are not fit to deal with victims of rape, victims of rape should not be subjected to further bureaucratic obstacles and the law should have the victim in mind, not the "lessening of the number of cases in courts for the ease of the justice system"

WE ASK FOR THE ELIMINATION OF RAPE CASES FROM THE UPCOMING MEDIATION LAW

UPDATE: Thanks to petitioning and protests the proposal was postponed for one year! Please keep signing this petition!